'Lianne has changed my life. It has been a miraculous, life changing treatment for me.'
Lianne Aquilina is a herbalist, acupuncturist, researcher, educator, author, and healthcare leader with over twenty years of experience across clinical practice, higher education, healthcare research, governance, professional development, and healthcare policy.
Her career has been characterised by a dedication to combining traditional Chinese medical knowledge with modern healthcare research and evidence-based practice.
Lianne graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Acupuncture (Distinction) from the University of Lincoln in 2005, during which she was awarded the Faculty Award for Studies in Health in recognition of her academic achievement. She subsequently undertook advanced clinical training at the Guangdong Province Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China, where she explored integrated models of healthcare delivery and observed the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine and conventional medical services.
Her postgraduate education includes a Master of Science (Merit) in Applied Health Research from the University of York, a Postgraduate Diploma (Merit) in Chinese Herbal Medicine, a Certification in Prepared Chinese Herbal Medicine from the Northern College of Acupuncture, a Diploma in Ayurveda Therapy, postgraduate study Master of Arts module Chinese Medical Classics (Distinction) through Oxford Brookes University, executive leadership education through the London School of Economics and Political Science (Distinction), and professional qualifications in healthcare Therapeutic Support (NVQ 3) and Dental Nursing 2000.Recognising the need for more specialised education in reproductive medicine, Lianne initiated and led the development of one of the first specialist educational programmes in Acupuncture for Fertility and IVF within a British Acupuncture Accreditation Board-accredited undergraduate degree course at the University of Lincoln. She has served as an Acupuncture Clinical Supervisor for a BSc Hons Degree, a Lecturer, an MSc Research Supervisor, and an invited educator at several institutions. Currently, she lectures for the new UK Taiwan Academy of Traditional Medicine (UKTATM).
Lianne is a co-author of the internationally recognised Elsevier textbook, “Acupuncture for IVF and Assisted Reproduction: An Integrated Approach to Treatment Management” (2015), a leading reference book examining the integration of acupuncture with assisted reproductive technologies. The publication has supported practitioners, educators, and students worldwide and has contributed to shaping contemporary fertility acupuncture education, practice, and professionalism.
Her scholarly contributions include a book chapter, journal publications, invited reviews, consultation on international guidelines, published methodological commentary, healthcare policy analysis, research leadership, and professional governance. She has served as an individual expert reviewer for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) guideline on the Number of Embryos to Transfer During IVF/ICSI, published methodological commentary in JAMA Network Open, and was invited by the Journal of Chinese Medicine to review historian Dr Sabine Wilms’ translation on the medical ethics of Sun Simiao.
Lianne has conducted original research in Chinese herbal medicine. Her work on threatened miscarriage used intervention data from one of the most comprehensive systematic reviews on the subject and expanded the analysis through both quantitative and qualitative examination of formulations, individual herbs, prescribing patterns, disease categories, pattern differentiation, and treatment strategies employed by hundreds of physicians treating over 5,000 patients at inpatient and outpatient hospital services in China. Her current fertility research has focused on reviewing the latest evidence for herbal medicine in boosting ovarian reserve and critically evaluating emerging evidence regarding Chinese herbal medicine and fertility outcomes.
Alongside contemporary research, she maintains a strong interest in classical Chinese medical literature. This led to the presentation of a research poster at the British Acupuncture Council Conference, examining severe infertility during the Tang Dynasty through thematic analysis of two monographic formulations from the Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang and their relevance to modern reproductive medicine.
Her dedication to professional leadership has led to appointments as a Board Director of the British Acupuncture Council, a Trustee/Advisor to the Research Council for Complementary Medicine, and a Member of the Research Committee of the Association of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine UK.
In recognition of her professional contributions and academic achievements, she was honoured by being elected to the Executive Council of the 4th Board Specialty Sub-Committee on Health of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies.
While her textbook on acupuncture and assisted reproduction remains a vital and valuable contribution to the profession, her subsequent work has expanded into Chinese herbal medicine, healthcare research policy, and professional leadership.
